Have an emergency plan ready for at home and away from home contingencies

Although people are observing tornadoes more often in Wyoming, whether actual tornado numbers are increasing remains to be seen.

Between 2000 and June 2022, 23 Wyoming counties saw 122 tornadoes, 1 death, 9 injured and 24 with property damage. The storms ranged from F0 to EF3. Meteorologists used the Fujita scale through 2006, then developed the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2007 to classify tornado severity. Storms are currently ranked on a scale of EF0 to EF5 based on wind speed and related damage. EF5 storms may have winds over 200 mph. Doppler radar recorded the highest winds, 302 mph in the Bridge Creek, Moore, OK tornado in 1999. Most tornadoes in Wyoming have wind speeds below 110 mph—making them primarily EF0 and EF1 storms. An F4 tornado occurred in Teton County in 1987. A tornado which struck Hot Springs County near Kirby on July 10, 2001, was rated F2, while Hamilton Dome in 2008 was EF0 and Dickie in 2014 was EF0. The strongest recent storms were EF3s in Campbell, Albany and Converse counties in 2018.

It is good to think ahead and plan ahead. With family members busy with work, school and other activities, having every member of the family at home at the same time is a rarity. Therefore, when developing individual and family emergency plans, you need to plan for two contingencies; one for emergencies that occur while you and your family are at home and a second for when family members are away from home and not together.

First and foremost, reduce fear and anxiety by running through a mock tornado drill at least once a year for everyone in your family. Do the same for employees at your business so they will know what to do and where to go. Ensure everyone knows the difference between a Tornado Watch and Tornado Warning. A Tornado Watch means a tornado is possible. Be alert and be ready to act. A Tornado Warning means a tornado is already occurring or will occur soon. It is time to act. Right now. Go to a safe place. Don’t forget your pets.

Hot Springs County Outdoor Alert Sirens cover a large portion of our more inhabited areas. For tornado alerts, they will sound the steady alert tone. Scheduled tests occur on the first Saturday of the month so if it is not the first Saturday of the month at noon, the alert siren is the real thing. Go indoors and seek further information. If you are signed up for County CodeRED your phones should be ringing. Sign up for CodeRED at hscounty.com. NOAA All Hazards Radios will be going off, alerting you of watches and warnings. HSC Emergency Management encourages everyone to have a NOAA radio at home and at your business. Alert tone volumes are sure to wake you up in the middle of the night.

Know where to shelter. Designate an area of your home or business as a shelter and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat. Go to the safe place you’ve identified at the lowest level possible (basement, inner hallway, storm cellar) and get away from windows. If you’re in a structure without a basement, the next best option is to find a small interior closet or hallway that is as far away from corners and windows as possible. Covering your head and neck with your arms and if possible, shield yourself with a coats or bedding or even a mattress. Many people have survived tornadoes by getting in the bathtub and pulling a mattress over themselves. If you have quick access to bicycle or motorcycle helmets put them on.

Please note, mobile homes are not safe during a tornado, regardless of how well they are rooted. Seek shelter in the closest permanent structure immediately or go lie down in a low spot or ditch. Locate such spots now as it will be urgent and might be dark when you need to go there.

Television and social media make storm chasing look like fun and frolic. If you do not seriously know what you are doing, do no not drive off chasing a tornado. It is complicated and it is very dangerous. If you are in a car, you should never try to out-drive a tornado. Get out of the car immediately and take shelter in a nearby building. If there is no time or nowhere accessible, get out of the car and lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle. Be aware of potential flooding and flying debris. Cover your head and neck with your arms and protect yourself with a coat or blanket if possible.

Avoid bridges and overpasses. Never hide beneath a highway overpass or a bridge as this offers no protection from wind or flying debris.

Here in Hot Springs County some suggested shelter locations are the circuit court lobby, the courthouse, town hall, the library, hospital, Gottsche, post office, public health, schools and businesses. Any sturdy building will do as shelter. Get in fast, get away from glass and windows, get down.

Hot Springs County does not use an all clear message as this has caused confusion in other stricken communities. When the thunder has ended and winds subside you can begin to take stock of your condition and carefully head outdoors. It is very important that you pay attention to the shoes you have on. In tornado damaged areas the ground is strewn with glass and nails and debris. Do not approach or touch any downed wires. Assume all wires to be live wires. If you hear gas leaking and know how, turn it off quickly. Otherwise, move away.

Now breathe and try to relax. Unless you have a medical emergency, do not call 911. Dispatch will be overwhelmed. Be patient, emergency personnel will be along soon. Cell service may be slow.

Mental health personnel and your faith community will be there to assist with your anguish and stress.

Note: Wyoming data for this story was gathered from the NOAA National Centers For Environmental Information (NCEI) / Storm Events Database at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/